The Ministry of Environment for South Korea announced the release of 600 Golden Frogs (Pelophylax chosenicus) in to the Aquatic Botanical Garden at the National Institute of Ecology in Seocheon County. Also known as the Gold-spotted Pond Frog or the Seoul Frog, the Golden Frog populations have declined due to farmers changing rice fields to other groups and urban development. While the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) redlist only lists them as Vulnerable to extinct, South Korea lists them as a Endangered category II species. The National Institute for Ecology will keep track of the frogs to allow them to help other imperiled species.
